Dead Time / Shelter

Two vulnerable girls go to extremes for love.

In Dead Time, Isabella is in jail and waiting to be tried for a horrifically violent crime. Her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend, Lulu, is dead. Even her name makes Isabella want to poke somebody in the eye with a stick. True, Isabella was jealous and asked her boyfriend, Sergei, to prove his love, but how could she have known how far it would go? She's obviously the victim here. Sergei will tell them, will make them believe her story. Or will he?

Abby, the narrator of Shelter, is only in high school, but she feels responsible for holding her family together. Her father works two jobs and is rarely home. Her mom, angry about their financial woes, escapes to nightclubs with her girlfriends. When Abby meets Sean, an attractive, sensitive guy who lets her confide in him, it's not surprising that she falls in love fast -- and hard. Sure, he's a little older, but Abby still wants to give herself to him. But Abby's first time is not at all what she imagined.

Christy Ann Conlin has written novels and essays for adults and has worked as a storytelling apprentice in Northern Ireland. She lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Jen SookFong Lee was born and raised in Vancouver's East Side, British Columbia, where she now lives with her husband. Her poetry, fiction and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines.